LAWRENCEVILLE--The 2012-13 Rider University swimming and diving season begins with the annual Alumni Meet on October 6 and the Broncs open the seven dual meet regular season slate at the University of Maryland Baltimore County on October 13, head coach and aquatics director Steve Fletcher announced.

"Year in and year out, our meet schedule creates a continuous challenge in coaching and recruitment and has the potential to bring out the best in our athletes," said Fletcher, who is beginning his 12th season at Rider. "The increased level of competition has been taking shape for years and is still evolving."

The 21st annual Alumni Meet begins at 11am at Coppola Pool in the Maurer Center on the Lawrenceville, New Jersey campus.

Rider also opened against UMBC last season with the Retrievers defeating the Broncs in both the men's and women's dual.

Rider hosts Seton Hall (Big East Conference) in the home opener on October 18 at 5pm.

After a home dual against Lehigh on November 3, Rider travels to Newark to face the University of Delaware and La Salle in a tri-meet on November 10.

The Broncs open Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference action on November 17 with a trip to perennial conference power Marist. The Rider men defeated the Red Foxes in Poughkeepsie last season.

The Rider men won the MAAC championship in 2011-12 with the Bronc women placing runner-up.

"This season, we continue traditional matchups with some of the best teams in the MAAC while taking advantage of our location to compete with teams in the area that will challenge our competitiveness and the strength of our team chemistry," Fletcher added.

Princeton, Yale, Columbia, Army, Dartmouth, New Hampshire and the host Bears will compete along with the Broncs in the eight-team competition.

"The Big Bear Open is one of the true highlights of our schedule," Fletcher said. "That will serve as our mid-year test in a conference championship format type meet."

After the annual winter training trip to Delray Beach, Florida (January 2-9), Rider hits the pool again on January 12 with a MAAC dual at Loyola Maryland. Both the Rider men's and women's teams swept the 'Hounds in Lawrenceville in 2011-12.

Rider's final home dual of the season is January 19 against MAAC-rival Fairfield at 1pm. Both the Rider men and women defeated the Stags in Connecticut last season.

The Broncs complete regular season competition in Piscataway, New Jersey on January 26 with a quad-meet against Rutgers, Fordham and Yale. Rider defeated Fordham on the men's side in 2011-12.

"The new teams that we've added for 2012-13 fit the criteria of increased competition," Fletcher said. "We have continued to develop the schedule in a direction that preserves the excitement of the dual meet rivalry. That concept can get lost with an invitational format."

The MAAC championships will again be held in Buffalo, New York at Erie Community College, taking place February 14-16.

The Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) championships, hosted by Harvard will take place February 22-24 in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Last season, both the men's and women's teams placed fifth of 18 teams at ECACs.

The NCAA Zone 'A' diving championships are March 15-17 at Rutgers with both the women's and men's NCAA championships taking place in Indianapolis.

"The Zone A NCAA Championship qualifier for our divers will be held close to home this year at Rutgers University," said Fletcher. "That will be great for our divers and gives our fans a unique opportunity to come out and support them at one of the most meaningful meets on the schedule."

Rider had two divers make zones last season, including rising junior Trevor Hiller (Galloway Twp./Absegami) who was 18th on the one-meter board and 19th on the three-meter board.

The women will compete at NCAAs March 21-23 with the men competing March 28-30.

The Rider men return 20 letterwinners from a squad that won four of nine duals in 2011-12. The Bronc women return 13 letterwinners for 2012-13.